


The City of a Thousand Dead Roses (Among Many Other Dead Things)

by rotisserie_shithead



Category: BLACKPINK (Band), LOONA (Korea Band), LOOΠΔ, Red Velvet (K-pop Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Multi, Not Beta'd, Reader-Insert, again sorta.. im sorry im such a messy bitch, i'll keep tagging as things pop up, kinda. again im a messy bitch really tho whos suprised anymore, kpop, sorta???? it's Complicated, uhh theres sum gay shit along de way
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-05-29 08:18:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15069041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rotisserie_shithead/pseuds/rotisserie_shithead
Summary: More than twenty years have passed since the outbreak that wiped out a good chunk of the world's population and you find yourself living a mostly content life at Haven, an all-girls home nestled smack-dab in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Seoul, South Korea. At least you WERE content, until a strange new girl and a string of letters signed KN show up at your doorstep.alternatively titled: i have no idea what im doing and at this point im too afraid to ask





	1. It Begins

**Author's Note:**

> OK SO if you think you've read this b4 you probably have. i rewrote dis bitch cus the old one sucked nuts. same plot n shit but like... i rewrote it so read it again pwease :)

It starts like this: you’re lying awake in your room, staring at the familiar gray of the ceiling when you hear it. A voice on the night wind, desperate and wild, reaching your tired ears. You stay put for moment before a second scream riles you out of your bed.

The Wall obscures your view from the window. It stands, dark and obtrusive. A small section is broken, patched by thick chain-linked fence, decorated with a wreath of barbed wire. A person is wailing, clinging to the fence. You see their face, twisted into an expression of primal fear. 

They need help, you think idly. That much is obvious, but you know that no help will come. 

You watch for a moment, apathetic but curious, as they attempt to break through the fence. It’s useless, you want to call out; they’re just wasting their energy. But you instead wait quietly for the inevitable.

A loud, piercing sound cracks through the area and suddenly the person is no longer standing. A spray of red paints the area around the fence. The guards always get them. Their snipers are infamous for shooting to kill, regardless of whether the target is sick or not. It’s all the same to them. 

You sigh and pad back to your bed, falling back into your previous sleepless haze. 

A sudden knock on your room’s door startles you. It slowly opens to reveal Lisa. Her face is pale. “It happened again,” She says. “It was so loud.” 

“Yeah.” You respond. She’d always been troubled by the shootings. Her hands move nervously through her hair. “D’you want to sleep here tonight?” She nods. 

In bed, she wriggles closer to your side. “Do they really have to do that?” Her voice is thick with sleep. 

“I guess so.” You say. “If they break through, it’d be bad, right?” You can feel Lisa nod softly. 

“I hate this. I miss being able to sleep through the night without having to hear that shit.” You do, too, but keep quiet. If you stop talking, she’ll eventually go to sleep. 

“Hey,” she whispers, “we’ll be okay, right?” 

“Yeah.” Your answer is hollow, automatic. “We will.”

You don’t hear anymore gunshots that night.


	2. It Continues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new beginning. Life changing stuff, or at least it seems so.

  It continues like this: a few days pass by without issue. A new girl is brought to Haven. Her name’s Yerim, and she’s eighteen, Joohyun says in a painfully cheery tone as she introduces her to the rest of the girls. The room gives the appropriate response of quiet applause, then you all disperse and do your own thing. 

            You don’t see Yerim again until you pass by her in the stairwell. She gives a stiff bow and quick bow before running off again. She’s like a mouse, you think. 

           Night comes and the house gathers downstairs for dinner, as you always do. As you leave to meet the rest of the girls, Jiwoo stops you at your door. She has a grim look on her face. “Yerim’s missing.” She says.

           “Already?” You joke dryly. 

  A quick glare shuts you up. “Joohyun’s making everyone go out and look for her.” 

           “What if she just went out on the town?” Jiwoo narrows her eyes even more. “Jesus - alright, just lemme get a coat on.” 

            The quiet streets are subsequently filled by teenage girls, all armed with flashlights. Soft chatter fills the silence. It’s cold and all you want to do is get back to the house. Yerim was eighteen - she was old enough to take care of herself. You couldn’t understand why Joohyun was so insistent on an immediate search party. The last time she’d made such a fuss was when you had ‘run away’ at eleven years old. You’d been found hiding in the greenhouse with your glittery Hello Kitty backpack. 

Lisa falls into pace with you. You notice her choice of clothing - including your favorite hoodie. “I just want dinner.” She whines. You can’t help but agree.

It was Sooyoung’s turn to cook and,  _ damn _ , the girl made a mean spaghetti. She and the others on cooking duty were excused from any search-party-activities. It would probably all be cold by the time you made it back home. 

  “Did you watch the newest episode of  _ Princess Kitty? _ ” Lisa asks. It had become ritual for the two of you to hold watch parties every time a new episode comes out, but you had totally forgotten about this week’s episode. 

 “Nope. Did you?”

  “Didn’t wanna watch it without you, so...nah.” She admits. 

   You bump your shoulders together. “I missed you.” The words are mushy, but you mean it. She smiles and returns the shoulder bump. You really did miss this - feeling normal, forgetting about the wall and the world outside. Just you being a normal seventeen year old. 

  Suddenly, Joohyun’s voice pulls the two of you out of your little moment. “Alright everyone, attention, please.” She’s drowned out by the chatter of the younger girls. 

“Guys, be quiet!” Her right-hand woman, Wendy, raises her voice. 

   Joohyun nods. “Thank you. Now, I think we all know the situation?” She pauses and waits for the response of nodding heads. “Yerim is… missing, at the moment. We’re going to look for her but Seoul’s a big city -”

 “What if she left?” Chaeyoung muses. “Out of the city, I mean.” Joohyun gives her a warning look. The redhead continues, however. You never had liked her - too loud for your taste. “There’s a big hole in the wall right outside the house, you know? She could’ve decided the town was a shithole and dipped.” The girls around her begin to whisper conspiratorially. A scoff escapes your lips before you can stop it and Lisa elbows you softly. 

 “She didn’t leave the city.” Joohyun points her flashlight towards the city center. “Chances are she ran off somewhere closer to the Hub. Wendy, Jiwoo, Tzuyu and I will head that way. The rest of you stay around here and look. She couldn’t have gotten too far.” She nods. “Alright. Keep your phones on and meet back at the house in an hour or so.” 

   The girls all begin to go their own way, with you, Lisa, and a hand full of others left standing around. “Well, guess we’d better start looking.” 

   There were plenty of side streets and alleyways for someone to go down, and it was easy to get lost if you didn’t pay attention. A sigh fell from your lips. 

   “Where do we even start? Like Joohyun said, Seoul’s a huge-ass city.” Lisa shrugs. 

    “I guess we could check around the wall.” She offers. You certainly would rather not, and it shows on your face. “Couldn’t hurt, right?” 

   And so, the two of you turn around and work your way downhill to the towering figure of the wall. It’s even more unnerving up close. 

   “I’m gonna go that way,” Lisa gestures to the left. “You go right. Meet me back here in ten, okay?” That sounded like an AWFUL plan with a capital A, and capital every other letter, too. That’s how bad of a plan it was. Before you can  get a word in edgewise, Lisa’s whisked herself away, her flashlight beam in the distance the only reminder of her presence. 

  “Shit. Fucking shit. Ass, hell, piss!” You mutter a string of curses as you make your way along the wall. No sign of Yerim. Great, you think. You’re being led to your death or some sketch shit. The wall gave you major bad vibes. 

  The hairs on the back of your neck suddenly stuck up and you swing your flashlight at the structure beside you. There’s nothing but a graffiti tag that reads ‘AD’. You shudder but continue on, despite every fiber of your being begging you to turn and book it. Do it for Joohyun, do it for Lisa, do it for Yerim. Just keep - 

“Ah-” Another human voice, dangerously close to you. You point the flashlight towards the voice and it reveals the girl of the hour, Kim Yerim. She’s crouched down beside the wall, where the fence has replaced the damage portion. Her hands and knees are covered in small cuts. 

    “Yeri,” you begin, but she cuts you off with bloody hand being slapped across your face. She pulls you down onto the gravel and dirt, making sure go turn off your flashlight. 

   Her eyes are wide and frenzied. “What do you people want from me?” She whispers. “That Joohyun girl, she knows something  _ I  _ don’t. I bet you know too, don’t you?” She sinks her nails into your shoulder.

  You bite down on her already injured hand - it’s disgusting but, gotta do what you gotta do. She jerks away with a hiss and you scramble to grab your flashlight. It turns back on, thank god, and you shove it right into Yerim’s face. 

“The  _ fuck  _ is wrong with you? I’ve been bustin’ my ass out here looking for you and this is the thanks I get? I’m missing spaghetti night for your dumbass!” She blinks furiously, eyes irritated by the bright light. You notice that despite the light, her pupils are huge. “Christ, are you on something?” 

  She crawls away from you. “Leave me alone. All of you! There’s something wrong here, can’t you see?” She begs. “I have to get out of here. I have to get to the Academy.” You narrow your eyes. 

    “ _ What  _ are you talking about?” 

   You crouch down and grab her arm. “Leave me alone,” Her voice is soft. “Just go. Pretend I wasn’t here. It’s better that way.” 

   She tries to pull away, but you keep your hold tight. “I’ll scream for help if you don’t stop.” You threaten. She quits moving and gives you a demure look. “What’s the Academy?” 

  “They can’t help you. They can’t help people like you,” her eyes close, and she breathes deeply. You wonder, vaguely, if she’s gone to sleep. “Just go home, I’m begging you. I’m sorry I scared you - now go.” 

 “Yerim, if I leave you, Joohyun will go ballistic, and I don’t feel like dealing with a woman on a warpath.” 

  She stares at you with wide eyes, seeming to suddenly realize something. “You have to let me go! I’m sick, see?” Yerim begins unbuttoning her blouse and your face flushes.

 “What -” Her shirt falls to reveal a faded bite mark, all scarred over and pale. Human teeth. “Oh, shit.”

 “I have to find the Academy. They can help people like me.” Her voice is thick with unshed tears. You take several steps back, your flashlight still set on the girl in front of you. “I can’t go back to Haven.” 

    The image of the bite remains heavy in your mind. “How long?” 

“What?” 

   “How long,” you gesture your flashlight towards the now-covered wound, “since  _ that _ happened?” 

 She blinks. “I can’t remember.” 

_ Bullshit _ , you think. It was already healed, and barely a scar remained. She was lying, and you wanted to know why. 

 “Come back home, even if it’s only for a few minutes. Let Joohyun know you aren’t dead in a field somewhere, at least.” Her brows crease. 

   “I shouldn’t,” She whispers. “I need-” 

 “To get to The Academy, I know. Just come with me for a  _ second _ !” You plead. If she refuses, you’ll be left explaining to Joohyun and Headmistress Park why one of her students have gone missing. “ _ Please _ .” 

  Her eyes shift nervously, and for a moment you’re afraid she’ll make a run for it. “Okay.” You give an internal sigh of relief. “Okay.” 

 

                      The two of you make your way back towards the road, your flashlight showing the path. Lisa had already called you twice and left two equally frantic voicemails. She appeared to believe you dead, despite you only being late by three minutes. 

     “Oh my god,” Lisa breathes when you and Yerim finally come across her. She’s standing with a gaggle of fellow haven students, all of them looking nervous. “I thought you were dead.” 

 “Dramatic, but okay.” You turn to Yerim and push her to stand beside you. “I found Yeri.” The girl seemingly tries to make herself appear smaller, her shoulders hunched and arms tightly crossed against her chest. She’s on the defence, eager to escape once again. 

     “Oh,” Lisa nods. “Okay, that’s - that’s good. I’ll call Joohyun.” 

      Yerim tenses at the mention of the older girl’s name. “Actually, can we talk for a sec?” You pull lisa away from the group, but Yerim follows you like a shadow. “ _ Alone _ ?” The brunette stops.

 “What’s the matter?” Lisa asks. Her brows are furrowed with obvious concern. 

   You look around, making sure no one else is in earshot and lean in close. The smell of Lisa’s shampoo fills your nose. “I think something’s wrong with Yerim.” Your whisper is hoarse.

     “Something as in…?” 

“I don’t know,” you lie, “but she can’t stay at Haven.” 

 She pulls back and faces you with narrowed eyes. “Why not?” 

    “Just - just trust me, okay?” You tighten your grip on her hand. Lisa blinks, but finally gives a slow nod. “Okay, good… good.” 

   You can tell she’s holding back her questions “Joohyun’s gonna be pissed.” She says. You were already well aware of that. 

  “Yeah, I know. Not too worried about that right now, though.” She rolls her eyes. 

   The wind picks up and you fight back a chill. Joohyun and the others are probably halfway to the city center by now. If you’re lucky, you can reach them in a good twenty minutes.

   While you do mental math, Yerim hangs back with the other haven girls, a nervous furrow between her brows. Lisa walks back to join them with a long, quick stride. There’s a sort of tenseness in the air between the three of you, but you can’t be bothered by that now, as the night grows darker and the sight of Yerim’s bite mark hangs in your mind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> do i know where i'm going with this? no. am i a good writer? also no. will i continue writing this despite it being slept on for nearly a year and a half? absolutely. 
> 
> also i feel like stuff is moving too quickly in this fic, so. formatting is also effed but just ignore it kweens


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